Pineapple Smoothie

I’m not sure what’s up with me, but for the past few weeks I have had very little appetite. It’s not that I am not eating, but more just that I don’t crave anything in particular and nothing really seems all that appealing to me. This is especially true at breakfast time. I am not the type of person to skip breakfast. I absolutely need breakfast every morning, especially on a work day when I know I won’t really get an opportunity to snack before lunch. I have my breakfast staples like eggs (of any kind) and homemade flax granola, but lately I just don’t feel like eating breakfast. I like smoothies, but I try to drink 16 oz of water as soon as I get up and always have a large coffee before I leave the house, so the thought of more liquid before work doesn’t seem like a good idea, but I honestly need to change things up a bit. We always have frozen berries in the freezer because my daughter eats them like there’s no tomorrow, but my husband brought a bag of frozen pineapple home from his last Costco trip. I love fresh pineapple, but the frozen bag has been sitting in the freezer untouched for about 2 weeks already, so I decided that I might try a pineapple smoothie for something completely different to start off my day. Pineapple is packed with nutrients and is supposed to aid in digestion as well, so it seems like great choice. In preparing for this post, I found this article on Style Craze, that highlighted 17 Amazing Health Benefits of Pineapples. If you like pineapple, check out the post and stock-up on this delicious nutritious fruit.

We make fruit smoothies all the time, but I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever made one with pineapple. I searched the web and came up with several different recipes. I decided to try a few and see which one I like this best. Here’s today’s Pineapple Smoothie Recipe taken from Creme de la Crumb.

Skinny Pineapple Smoothie

This simple recipe takes less than 5 minutes to make and has good flavour.

1 cup frozen pineapple
½ medium banana (I used a frozen banana)
½ cup crushed ice (I omitted the ice in lieu of the frozen banana)
½ cup vanilla yogurt (or greek vanilla yogurt)
1 cup coconut milk

Toss the ingredients in the blender. Blend and serve.

I liked the taste of this smoothie, but I can’t say it will be my new “go to”. It was a bit creamier than I like and so I think I will test out another recipe next time and see if it is more to my liking. Don’t get me wrong, this recipe is good, just not quite what I’m looking for.

Oven Cleaning 101

I hope I’m not the only one who never knew this, but at this moment I’m feeling pretty dumb. I have scrubbed my fair share of stoves over the years and yet, I learned something new today. Did you know there is a way to clean the glass inside the oven door? I would often be annoyed when I finished cleaning my oven and still had a hard time seeing through the grime on the inside of the glass, despite all of my efforts to have a spotless stove. I honestly had never heard of anyone cleaning inside the door until I saw it on Pinterest this weekend. Sure enough a few screws and the whole thing opens up.

Cleaning Between the Glass on Your Oven Door:

I’m assuming there’s someone else out there who never knew about this and thus I’m sharing the steps for cleaning the glass. I found this tutorial on Mom 4 Real and she claimed it was quite easy to open the oven door up and clean inside. I decided to put my oven on “self clean” this morning and thought I’d finish off the job by attempting to clean the glass inside the door. To be honest, it was even easier than her post implied. Her oven door had special screws (torx screws) that required a special tool to loosen them, but my oven had regular screws that were loosened and removed with a square head screw driver. My screws also seemed to be in different places than her post suggested. I had to remove 3 screws along each side of the door and one in the top of each corner of the door that held the handle on. I literally unscrewed the 8 screws and the door popped open. I then proceeded to vacuum the inside and gave it a good scrub and shine. It was super easy and my glass is now clean. Too bad about the black exterior that never ever looks clean in my opinion. The black appliances came with our house and I would never go “black” again. It looks sleek, but always seems streaky and/or dusty to me!

Remove the screws and it will pop open for easy cleaning.

Let me know if you knew about this and already clean the interior of your door as part of your oven cleaning regime. I’m curious to know if I missed this vital detail growing-up or if few people actually do this?

Painting Stripes and/or Creating Clean Colour Transitions

I previously did a post on how to create clean crisp lines when painting stripes or transitioning from one colour to another. I came across this video tutorial that describes the technique that I use in video form. For anyone attempting to create stripes or lines, this procedure is a must. Here is a video that describes and demonstrates the steps.
Happy painting!

Secrets of Sneaky Parents – Revealed

My daughter showed me this video and I just had to share. It reminded me of my friend Jen….she used to use the ice cream truck line all the time. Too funny!
I’m sure we’ve all pulled at least some of these tricks. It’s called survival people!

True Friendship: An Awesome Act Against Bullying

My friend Pat shared this video on Facebook. It is such a great example of the power of the human spirit. Some how the fact that it is boys gives the gesture even more impact. I think that experiences like this obviously have a huge impact on the victim, but I would expect that it was also a very powerful experience for each of the boys and their families and may even have a life long influence on how they treat others. Wow! A real testament to the power of friendship and uniting for a great cause.

Skillet Chicken Salad

This stir fry dish is both nutritious and tasty. We usually serve it on top of a bed of steamed brown rice. This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 sliced sweet red pepper

1/2 lb. of broccoli (cut into small florets)

1/4 vegetable oil

1/4 chicken stock

3 Tablespoons vinegar

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

salt and pepper

2 chopped green onions (or medium onion sliced)

Method:

Cut the chicken crosswise into 1/2″ wide strips.
In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes (or until done), stirring occasionally. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a warm bowl.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining oil. Add the red pepper and broccoli (and onion if using sliced). Cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the stock and reduce heat to low; cover and steam for two minutes. Using slotted spoon, add the vegetables to the bowl of chicken. Cover to keep warm.
Pour the vinegar into the same skillet and bring to a boil while scraping up the brown bits in the pan. Stir in the mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper. Add in the mushrooms and chopped green onions.
Return chicken and vegetables along with any accumulated juices to the skillet. Heat through.
Serve on a bed of steamed rice.

This recipe was taken from a mini specialty cookbook that was put out by Canadian Living. The book was a freebee I got way back when I was in university with the purchase of a tank of gas and is called Easy Chicken Dishes.

Life Lessons

Although it may seem strange, I sometimes find myself looking back over the times in my life when things seemed really bad and surprisingly it is with a thankful heart that I recall many of these milestones. I have certainly had my fair share of events that seemed to temporarily change the course of my life and leave me feeling disillusioned and some what helpless.

Occasions such as Mother’s Day remind of those days when I was able to share my sorrows and celebrations with my mom. Losing her at the age of 30 was not easy. I remember being so sad that she would never know my children and that my children would never be blessed with her presence in their lives. However, as tough as losing her was, I look back on her passing with mixed emotions. I think of her often and speak of her regularly. My kids have grown to know and respect her through me. They often speak of their Grandma Ruth as if they’ve grown-up with her by their side. They make comments about what she was like or how she did things or the kind of person that she was, and I am often amazed at their ability to capture the essence of the incredible woman she was. Despite the fact that she has been gone for over 15 years now, in so many ways she lives on.

Over the years, I have found that the biggest obstacles and toughest situations are often the catalyst that takes you to a whole new level in life. It is in the face of adversity that we gain an inner strength that perhaps we didn’t even know we possessed. I’m a very reflective person, and for almost every difficult situation, I am able to look back and see how each of those events helped me to grow and change, and ultimately have shaped me into the person I am today. I have found that when hopelessness seems to settle in and you feel like things can’t get any worse, it is with your next steps that there is often a break through. For me, it’s usually when I feel that I’m at my breaking point, that I dig really deep and completely rely on my faith to get me through. The most amazing part of this is that for every storm I whether in life, my faith and confidence grow. You come out the other side a stronger and often better person.

When my mom died, I missed her tremendously and was very sad, but embedded in her passing were circumstances that were more than coincidence and the way the days and details of her passing all mingled together so perfectly was nothing short of a miracle. I know it seems strange, but I have often said that losing my mom was one of the most difficult things I have ever been through and yet one of the most miraculous. For me, I have found that my strength can always be traced back to my faith. I know for certain there is a God with a much greater plan than I can ever imagine. I find it so intriguing that losing my mom young was in many ways the event that absolutely solidified my faith. Every detail seemed to perfectly orchestrated in such away, that I am unable to look back without being absolutely certain there was a higher power at work. I’m so thankful for my faith, for without it I’m nothing.

So what is the life lesson?

Don’t let the obstacles in life bring you down. You may feel brow beaten with what life throws at you, but I encourage you to push on and during the process reflect on the situation, its impact on you and your response to it. Through your reflection you too may be able to find the good in what seems like a horrible situation. It is so much easier to move on when you can find something to be thankful for. Just try it ~ think about what you learned about yourself, others or life in general. What would you do different? How will you prevent the same problem from happening again?

Did you know that one of the greatest predictors of success isn’t your IQ, but rather your AQ. Your AQ (Adversity Quotient) is your ability to rise-up in the face of adversity, to process the situation and learn and grow from the experience. Those that are most successful will often say that they have just failed more often. So when faced with a difficult situation, try your best to stand strong, face it head on and know that if you persevere, it may be the catalyst that takes you to a whole new level in life.

Have a great day and hang in there!

Vitamin D Revisited

I am so glad that we have finally had some sunshine and can begin to get outdoors and enjoy a good dose of Vitamin D in its most natural form. I just finished placing an order for some Vitamin D and thought it might be a good time to remind people of the benefits and importance of maintaining optimal levels of Vitamin D. Most of this information was taken from a previous post I did. On his website, Dr. Frank Lipman talks about Vitamin D, appropriate levels and some symptoms of deficiency.

What are the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency?

There is no clear pattern of symptoms. In fact many people remain asymptomatic despite low levels. But here are the more common symptoms

Fatigue

General muscle pain and weakness

Muscle cramps

Joint pain

Chronic pain

Weight gain

High blood pressure

Restless sleep

Poor concentration

Headaches

Bladder problems

Constipation or diarrhea

Of course, our very best source of Vitamin D is that which is received via the sun, but many people need to incorporate more Vitamin D by taking supplements. Dr. Oz recommends 1000 IU a day, as do many health care providers. The chart below shows Vitamin D levels and what they mean in terms of your optimal health. Although this chart was not shared by my naturopath, this fits with the numbers and plan we had for achieving optimal levels for me. He felt that I should be within the 80 to 100 range due to the medication I take and other risk factors that I have. (However, another site I found stated that 50 ng/ml was the optimal level ~ so there are definitely different schools of thought regarding Vitamin D and supplementation.) I have my levels monitored to ensure that I am not taking in too much , but I generally take 10, 000 IU per day. In the time I have been taking this large dose, I have never tested much higher than 70. Keep in mind, that I live in Canada and work almost full-time, so my exposure to the sun is very limited in the winter. Vitamin D levels must be closely monitored by your health care provider as excessive amounts (above 100 ng/ml) can be harmful. The important thing to consider is whether or not you might in fact be deficient and need to get your levels checked and monitored.

Vitamin K and Vitamin D

A few months ago, my chiropractor told me about new research suggesting that taking a combination of Vitamin D and K really helped to enhance absorption and effectiveness of both when taken together. I found a supplement on iHerb that was less expensive than many similar supplements found locally and I have been extremely pleased with the results. This liquid Vitamin D3/K2 is manufactured by Ortho Molecular Products. I usually order 2 at a time to offset the duty and shipping fees. If you are interested in the link, here it is:

http://www.iherb.com/ortho-molecular-products-liquid-vitamin-d3-with-k2-1-fl-oz-30-ml/45205?rcode=brj400

Dr. Mercola states:

But there’s a new kid on the block that could end up being “the next vitamin D,” and we are finding that some of vitamin D’s benefits are greatly enhanced when combined with this other vitamin.

That “new kid” is vitamin K.

Much new research is now focusing on the synergy between vitamin K (specifically, vitamin K2) and vitamin D3, particularly in terms of bone strength and cardiovascular health.

To read his entire article, follow this link ~ The Delicate Dance Between Vitamins D and K.

Summary

If you find that you are feeling “off” or are experiencing some of the symptoms mentioned above ~ get outside. For many, just being outside, can make you feel better. The fresh air, sunshine (Vitamin D) and immersion in nature can be the best medicine of all. However, if you feel that you may need to supplement, check with your health care provider. I think that most GP’s would recommend the standard 1000 IU’s and that you may need to see a Naturopath in order to get an accurate measurement of your levels and specific needs. I have found that supplementing my Vitamin D has had a huge impact on my over all health throughout the past 3 – 4 years. I can tell when I have missed taking it or run out, and it is an absolute staple in my daily routine.

Little Change, Big Impact

There is a mud room located off the back of our kitchen. I love the concept of a mud room, but hate this space…it’s totally useless! Although the room is probably about 8 X 12, there are two stair cases (one down to the mud room/one down to the basement), the garage door, the back door and a large window. The space is such that despite all the room, there really is no place to store shoes and coats because every wall is broken up. The stairs are built is such a way that more than 4 feet of the 12 is lost and the remaining space is about 8 feet square. I have big plans for this space, but it is currently way down the list. It is one of the few spaces in our home that we’ve never touched. I simply decided that it would stay as is until we could do it right. I can’t wait for the day I can call these photos “BEFORE” shots, but for now, this is what I’m living with. You can see that it would be difficult to add any kind of a closet or wardrobe because currently both doors swing into the room. It simply isn’t functional.

I hate this back landing – it is nothing more than a place for junk to collect.

The stairs go down from the kitchen to the mud room and then cut back down to the basement. The door leads to the garage.

The potential is great – I love the beams on the vaulted ceiling.

The open door leads to the backyard.

You can see the stoop is home to our recycling tub and my hubby’s pop. Ugh!

You can see that the landing and stairs take up a large portion of the room.

Despite our brutal winter, my husband and I realized that we had not closed the back door between the kitchen and mud room even once throughout the winter. We used to close it often as the mud room only has a baseboard heater and it’s often cold, but a few years ago we had an efficiency test done on our house and were told that it would be best to leave the door open at all times for the heat to circulate through. Sure enough, it is better with the door left open. However, this big cumbersome door, when left open, blocks all of the sunlight pouring in the huge kitchen window. I don’t know why, but until recently it never even occurred to us to remove it. This weekend, my husband removed the door from the hinges and carried it down to the basement. I was absolutely blown away by the difference. The room feels so much brighter and more open and the door is no longer in the way.

Sometimes, the simplest of details make the biggest impact. Of course, we now have to remove the hinges and metal stripping, fill holes and paint the frame, but the over all look seems to be dramatically different. Of course, now we have great sight lines to the mud room that I hate, but perhaps the mud room make-over has now moved up a few notches on the “to do list”.

I don’t have great before pictures because I really didn’t expect it to make such a big difference. My husband is great, but somehow I can’t see him bringing the heavy door back up and putting it back on the hinges for a before shot. The first two photos give you a bit of an idea of the issues we had with the door.

BEFORE: You can see the back door at the far end. It always seemed to be in the way.

You can’t see the door because it is closed, but you can see the large window it was blocking when it was open.

AFTER: I’m not sure that the photo captures it, but the room is so much brighter and open feeling.

You can see the work that will still need to be done to make the door frame look better, but already such and improvement.

If something in your space is bothering you, step back and see if a small change might make a big difference. Perhaps it’s as simple as moving a piece of furniture, replacing small picture frames with something oversized, painting or changing the swing of a door. When we did our bathroom make-over a few years ago, one of the things we did was change the swing of the door. It used to swing open to sit in front of the built-in cupboards. It drove me crazy to have to close the door every time I needed something from the cabinet. Although we did a whole renovation, this alone made a huge difference to the look and functionality of the room.

Decadence on a Dime: Chocolate Butterscotch Dessert

I was under the weather last week and was happy when I woke up Saturday morning feeling almost 100% again.

I had planned to try out 3 new recipes for our dinner party, but stuck to my mom’s Chocolate Butterscotch Dessert to complete the meal. This was my favourite dessert growing up and it has now become a favourite for my entire family. This dessert is easy to make, quick to prepare and absolutely delicious. Unlike most desserts that can be pricey to prepare, I can generally make this by purchasing only one item ~ whipping cream. This is a real winner!